


So Follow Me Down

by TinyBat



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-12-26
Updated: 2014-01-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 04:29:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1102414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TinyBat/pseuds/TinyBat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jefferson finds a way to get around Emma's Christmas gift expense clause on a technicality.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Clause and Effect

Emma hated receiving gifts, she hated the feeling that she was on the other end of someone else's charity. It made sense because so much of her life had been working, thieving, or surviving on handouts, but what bothered Jefferson was how it reflected her self worth. Emma was amazing, and strong, and she was worth so much more than anyone could give her but she refused to see it and that was incredibly frustrating. Christmas hadn't been a tradition in the Enchanted Forest but the population of Storybrooke did have memories of Christmas so it was something they celebrated, and this year Emma and Henry were spending it with Jefferson, Grace, and the $25 Gift Clause. Emma had insisted because she and Henry had just moved into Jefferson's house and that was more than extravagant enough in her view, Jefferson would have called her a Grinch and told her she was the only person he knew who could put a price on Christmas but it wouldn't be worth the argument. 

He was being duplicitous, he knew this, but then again, so was everyone else involved in his overall plan. Jefferson was finally on good terms with Emma's parents, and they had agreed that watching the kids for a weekend wouldn't be an issue, and both children were overjoyed when Jefferson explained. He had been nervous when Belle told him Emma had been into the pawn shop, because while Rumplestiltskin could be discrete, he had adopted Emma as a god-daughter of sorts and Jefferson had concerns about the imp filling her in on his involvement in her gift. Jefferson's former employer had done a tremendous job on his end especially given his limited resources, Jefferson had exactly what he needed and even a few things he didn't want which was exactly what he had expected. Belle may have had a hand in a few of the extras because she was very forward thinking and had the knack for understanding what Jefferson was missing before Jefferson knew himself, it was a power known to Belle and very few else. The best part was that it had hit the $25 mark perfectly, and there was a receipt to prove it.

All was in order, Christmas Day had gone off without a hitch, and after a brief exchange with Charming, Jefferson and Emma saw the children off. Emma's curiousity had been piqued when Jefferson had asked her about sending the kids off, but luckily her questions hadn't been in depth. Now though, with a very familiar hat in hand, along with a long thin box, and a satchel at Jefferson's side did Emma's questions become direct. 

"What is that doing out? I don't even want to know why you knew I still had that, and I'm sure we'll get to that later but right now it's a pressing concern." Emma was standing in the front hallway, her arms crossed in her bright red knit sweater, and her feet tapping an irregular beat into the tile floor. Emma's last experience with a magical hat had led to a highly eventful trip, so her concerns were perfectly valid. 

"It's out because this is your gift. The only thing I paid for is the bag, i've even got the receipt. I know there's a lot we haven't talked about yet, and that we still haven't fully covered everything about the night we met but I wanted this to be my one gift to you." Jefferson said, nervously placing the hat down on the floor, trying to gauge Emma's reaction. Both her parents were instinctually physical even on their most ceremonially royal days, so the possibility of violence wasn't out of the question. Emma looked from the hat on the floor, to the box and the bag still in Jefferson's arms. "I get the feeling that this might be one of those gifts I might not like." 

"Well, I can only say that I really hope that isn't the case. You said you've read Alice in Wonderland, and I see you looking at the paintings in the halls of the caterpillar and the lizard. I might not like the place much, but I get the feeling that you will. So, Emma. What do you say to a weekend jaunt in a magic hat?" he asked, still warily eyeing Emma's posture. She had visibly relaxed, and the expression of joy he had dearly come to love sprang into Emma's eyes. She so rarely got to genuinely enjoy things, and the visceral need to move and to explore was always present in Emma, nervous or not, this was something she wanted.

"Well, only if you can promise we'll be able to come home again. I think i'm starting to like it here." Emma was grinning ear to ear, and Jefferson gestured to the hat. "Perfect. You can do the honors." Emma nodded, bending down and sliding her fingers over the shiny crushed velvet of the hat brim before spinning it gently. The purple vortex that opened up inside the room was the same as the one that had brought Emma to the forest, but the comparisons ended there. They both jumped, and the sensation of shrinking and growing very rapidly made Emma dizzy, Jefferson was smiling like a man witnessing a miracle, and Emma looked around in amazement.

"So, this is the hall of doors, Henry's book didn't do it justice. All of these go to different places?" Emma wandered around the circular room, her eyes always moving to try and absorb as much of what she was seeing as possible, lest it fade away. "As different as night and day. We're headed to the looking glass." Jefferson pointed, and Emma met him at a door made to look like a tall and absolutely beautiful mirror. Jefferson pressed his fingers against the surface of the glass and it rippled, Emma put her hand straight through and she had to laugh at the strangeness of it. The feeling of walking through the glass itself was a peculiar pressure, like moving through a heavy fog and swimming at the same time. 

Emma gasped aloud when they were safely through, they were facing several car sized mushrooms, and a small garden of flowers quietly chattering to each other with absolutely no regard for the newcomers, what appeared to be a dragon the size of a quarter buzzed around her head, and she was having difficulty trying to find a place to look. Jefferson shifted uncomfortably, scanning the area for any signs of danger, but then setting their belongings down to wrap an arm around Emma's waist, kissing her on the cheek, and nuzzling into her hair with a smile. "Emma Swan, welcome to Wonderland."


	2. Mutually Agreed Upon

It had been a really sweet gesture, and for Jefferson it was his last door opening, but that didn't mean Emma had to be happy. She was currently camped out in the branches of the biggest tree she'd ever seen, clutching the sword Jefferson had given her. He had apparently run the idea of taking her here past her father, and his sword had been a gift and possibly some peace of mind. Providing they weren't going to be roasted alive, peace of mind was currently the best thing they had going for them, it had rained something red and sticky about an hour into their exploration and Jefferson wasn't acclimated enough to find a body of water for them to clean themselves off in. 

Whatever the foul red goo was, it had attracted a visitor to the camp they'd set up for the evening. The thing had the sharpest teeth Emma had ever seen and talons as long as her arm, Jefferson had immediately told her to get herself up into the tree and that he needed to find something to blind the creature with.

"I thought you said they weren't big! You were lying! Ogres, fine, dragons, yeah, dragons are okay too. Jabberwockies are where i'm going to have an issue. Please just get up here." Emma yelled, watching Jefferson scramble behind a rock, rummaging through their bags for anything they could use. "I never said anything of the sort, I said they weren't common. Forgive me if I didn't think that a detailed description of a Jabberwock was appropriate pillow talk. I can't find the bug spray, are you feeling spry?"

Emma swore under her breath and rolled her eyes, of course it would be her job to get this taken care of. Jefferson was more a magic user than a fighter, and his sort of magic was more trickery than it was anything substantive or at all helpful. Not that Emma would blame him for his hesitation, the monster was hideous, and it had a propensity for torching the shrubbery they were going to hide in. "Fine, just keep it distracted and i'll see what I can do." Jefferson nodded, and Emma jumped down, taking a slice at the beast, narrowly avoiding the talons and dodging a gout of flame that burst from it's disgusting mouth.

"Distraction, now! I don't care what kind it is!" She yelled, rolling sideways to get out of reach of the deadly set of teeth that had just come within inches of her head. A horrible, shattering, and painful noise split the air, and the Jabberwock turned to face Jefferson, who was smiling and holding an airhorn in one had, and leaning on one arm against the large boulder he'd hidden behind. Once Emma's pain threshold had fought down the nausea the noise had given her, she slipped around the Jabberwocky's left side and jammed the blade of the sword up through the soft flesh under it's jaw. A fountain of green blood and bile began pouring out of the wound and the thing fell into the dust. 

"Thank you. Remind me once I roll this thing over to pull the sword out and beat you with it." Emma said, coughing, and retching as the smell coming off the fresh corpse became apparent. Jefferson of course was still smiling, and he bent down to put the airhorn back in the pouch he'd removed it from. "As long as you make it quick. I wonder if we actually got something useful from Gold, like water, or maybe a map." he said, looking distinctly unbothered by his girlfriend's threat of violence. She didn't deal well with travel, especially when hot water wasn't going to be available, she'd spent enough time without it that the luxury of hot running water was something she cherished.

"I doubt it, but since I don't think he'd allow us to die here, I bet there's something helpful. How much further to this house of yours?" Emma asked, rolling the now very dead Jabberwock onto it's side, and wrenching the sword out from the beast's skull. Jefferson had said that he'd be taking her to the house the Queen of Hearts had left him in, hoping to clear it out and maybe add a few happier memories to the place. "If you saw a grove of really large daisies with teeth while you were up in that tree, then about two hours north of here, and yes there should be a working well."

"Jefferson, honey. Please don't take this the wrong way, because i'm so glad you did this for me, and that you're willing to give yourself closure, but I _really_ hate Wonderland." Emma sighed, walking over to grab her travel bag, and wipe her sword in a patch of mostly living grass. "That, I can totally understand. Next time I take you somewhere, I promise you won't need to be armed to the teeth."

"I'm holding you to that. Now let's go. If any of what's in my hair right now starts to smell, you're going to sleep outside." Jefferson just packed his things, and they set off hoping that any more large and ferocious beasts would have the decency to wait until after they made themselves appropriately human again.


End file.
